IBM program yields prototype results, works students chops

Troubleshooting software in situ often proves challenging because of the difficulty of pinpointing whether hardware, software, or networking is to blame. A new prototype tool developed by IBM summer interns could simplify fault detection and may even eliminate some finger-pointing. Code-named Symbiosis, the tool is the product of Extreme Blue, a 12-week IBM program that brings MBAs and computer science students together as a part of a combined skunk works and recruitment program.

Symbiosis collects data from IBM's Tivoli system event console, correlates it with software performance analysis data from the Rational Software testing tools, and then displays the results using Hyades, an open-source problem identification tool developed as part of the IBM-sponsored Eclipse open-source framework. Symbiosis resolves a typical problem for IT shops: code from the development team is thrown over the wall to operations, with no clear method for resolving the inevitable snafus.

According to Ana Soriano, a project team member and an MBA senior from Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business, developers of the tool had to scope the problem, determine what could be solved by deadline, and decide which problem to tackle first. "We looked at tracing, logging, and monitoring," she says. "We decided that tracing was the most important thing that we could tackle in 12 weeks."

Another prototype product of the Extreme Blue effort is a program that adds real-time capability to business activity monitoring (BAM). By integrating IBM's WebSphere Portal front end with WebSphere MQ Messaging, DB2 database, and embedded analytics from AlphaBlox, a recent IBM acquisition, the prototype displays a real-time financial portfolio analysis scenario. According to Paul Baffes, Extreme Blue project manager, the tool also can be applied to supply chain tracking.

Although still at prototype stage, many Extreme Blue projects eventually materialize as products, says Baffes. For instance, a 2002 project automating the configuration of blade computers is now available as part of IBM Director version 4.